Sharon Penman - The Queen Man

Nora was frowning, on the verge of speech. But they were interrupted again by another customer, this one shy, not brash, clutching his woolen cap between work-roughened hands as he offered diffidently to buy them more wine. While it was not unusual for women to frequent their neighborhood alehouses and taverns, Nora and Nell were too young and attractive not to draw unwanted attention. Nora now sent the man away with a stinging, expletive-laden dismissal. For all that she looked as demure as any virgin bride, she had a command of invective that even fishmongers or sailors might well envy. As the man slunk off in embarrassment, Nell could not help feeling sorry for him. But at least they'd not be bothered again; Nora's scornful tongue-lashing had echoed throughout the tavern.

"Does this happen often, Bella?"

Nell shrugged. "Abel likes his ale, and he's hard enough to please even when he's sober…" For the first time, she felt vaguely uncomfortable about feigning friendship like this; Nora's sympathy seemed quite genuine. "The worst of it," she said, "is that he maltreats me in front of others, calling me 'slut' and 'dull-witted cow,' not caring at all if the servants or Joel can hear."

"Joel? You've not mentioned him before."

"Oh… did I not?" Nell fiddled with her napkin. "Joel is Abel's journeyman. Lord knows why he stays, for Abel pays him only a pittance and takes out his vile temper on Joel, too. A pity, for Joel would do right well for himself, if only he had the means. It was his idea to add perfume to the French soap. I did tell you Abel sells soap as well as candles? Well, French soap is made by boiling mutton fat with wood ash and caustic soda. After Joel talked Abel into scenting it with rosewater, sales went much better… I'll try to remember to bring you some when we next meet."

"Thank you," Nora said absently. The blue eyes Justin and Luke had so admired were too shrewd and knowing for Nell's liking, and she continued to stare down at the warped tabletop. "Is he young… this Joel?" When Nell nodded, a cynical smile played about Nora's mouth. "So you fancy him, do you?"

Nell raised her head. "What if I do?"

"Smooth your feathers, girl. I am not blaming you for having a wayward eye. What woman would not prefer a young ram to an old goat? But what do you mean to do about it?"

"What can I do? I cannot run away with Joel, for we'd both starve. On the days that Abel goes to his guild, we steal some time together in his shop, in the back room. We make do with what we can. But if Abel ever caught us…" It was easy enough to fake a shiver. Nell had always had an overly active imagination, and she could even summon up a dash of pity for poor, foolish Bella, trapped in a miserable marriage and about to leap from the frying pan into the fire.

"So why wait for the roof to fall in on you?"

"I already told you why we cannot run away together, Nora! Or are you one of those fools who think people can live on love?"

Nora laughed. "When it rains pea soup! It seems to me that Abel is your problem. Get rid of him and your problem is solved, as simple as that."

Nell drew her mantle more closely around her shoulders, for she suddenly felt chilled to the bone. She thought she'd taken Nora's measure, but she still hadn't expected the other woman to suggest murder as casually as if she were ordering more wine. "And how do I do that, Nora?" she said, with all the sarcasm she could muster. "Smother him with a pillow whilst he sleeps?"

Nora reached for her wine cup. "I think we can do better than that."

Nell's pulse was racing. "Nora… you're no serious?"

Nora sipped her wine, smiling. "That depends. Do you want me to be?"

"I… I might. If I did, could you help me?"

"No. But I know someone who can. Giles is very good at solving problems like Abel. But you'd have to make it worth his while. Can you do that, Bella?"

Nell cast her eyes down hastily, lest Nora see their exultant gleam. Giles, was it? Just as she'd deliberately chosen a name very like her own, so had Nora. Snatching at her napkin, she brought it up to conceal her smile. "I think I could," she said slowly. "As I told you, Abel does a profitable trade, and hoards nigh on every penny he earns. But this is happening too fast for me. I need to know more."

Nora's smile was cold enough to cause frostbite. "All you need to know," she said, "is that Giles can do for you what you dare not do yourself — if you're willing to pay his price. Are you, Bella?"

Nell drew a deep breath. "Yes," she said, "I am."

~~

"She took the bait!" Nell flung her arms around Justin's neck, hugging him joyfully. "She proposed murder, right over the eel pie!"

Although Justin had waited until Nora was long out of sight before approaching Nell, he was still uneasy about her acknowledging him so openly in public. Catching her arm, he drew her into the shelter of a nearby alley. "She mentioned Gilbert by name?"

"She called him 'Giles,' but who else could it be? How many killers on the run is the woman sharing her bed with, after all!"

"She knows where he is, then?"

Some of Nell's elation faded. "Alas, she does not. She explained that he has been 'lying low, waiting for the storm to blow over,' and so she has not seen him for several weeks. But he got word to her that he thought 'the pot was no longer on the boil,' so she expects he'll soon be seeking her out."

Nell paused for breath. "So it would indeed have been a mistake for Jonas and Luke to arrest her. I'll try to resist the temptation to say I told them so, but I can make no promises!"

"Did she reveal how he got a message to her, Nell?"

"No, she did not, and I thought it would've seemed suspicious had I asked. I suspect that he sent a man to the bawdyhouse. But she'd not be likely to tell me that, for she's led me to believe she is Giles's kept woman. I daresay that is why she's never invited me home. You said she shares it with three other whores, hardly the lavish love nest she's been bragging about But I think that prideful lie of hers worked to our advantage Since she had something to hide, too, mayhap that's why she did not question my excuse for not inviting her to my own home: that my husband is so jealous he begrudges me even women friends and sets his servants to spying on me."

"What happens now?"

"She says she'll talk to Giles on my behalf, see if he is willing to 'help' me. We agreed to meet again on Sunday at that same tavern. If he is still in hiding, all we can do is set up another meeting. After that…" She shrugged, and Justin finished the thought for her.

"We wait," he said. "God help us, we wait."

~~

Nell's Sunday meeting with Nora proved to be an exercise in futility, for Nora had not been contacted by her fugitive lover. They fumed in vain, and Luke sent a second letter to Winchester, putting off his departure from London, hoping that he'd convinced the sheriff and Aldith of the need for another delay. Nora and Nell agreed to meet again on Wednesday afternoon, this time at Paul's Cross in the churchyard of the great cathedral.

~~

That Wednesday morning, Justin rode to the Tower, welcoming Eleanor back from the Great Council meeting at Oxford and luring Claudine into the keep stairwell for some sweet, stolen kisses. He'd missed her much more than he'd expected — or wanted. His clandestine love affair with Claudine had given him greater pleasure — in bed and out — than he'd experienced with any other woman. But he never let himself forget that for lovers with no future, time was the enemy.

After leaving the Tower, Justin headed for the alehouse. Jonas had drawn Nell's bodyguard duty, so he passed the time with Luke, playing tables and draughts and arm wrestling, growing more and more restless as the hours dragged by. Luke was in a pessimistic mood, and he wagered Justin an extravagant sum that this, too, would prove to be a dry well. The deputy had never been so happy, though, to lose a bet as when Nell and Jonas returned at dusk, triumphant.